Suspect denies seeing PC chase him before death

PC Harper died after his ankles became entangled in a tow strap attached to a car

A teenager has denied seeing PC Andrew Harper chasing him moments before the officer was dragged to his death.

Jessie Cole, 18, said he was only thinking of getting away after he was "caught red-handed" on a stolen quad bike on August 15 last year.

The Old Bailey heard he unhooked the bike from a rope and made a run for the moving car which had been towing it.

Mr Cole denies murdering PC Harper, along with Henry Long and Albert Bowers.

PC Harper was dragged for more than a mile behind the Seat Toledo after his feet got caught in the strap.

Jurors heard Mr Cole dived through the Seat's window and told the occupants, Mr Long and Mr Bowers: "That's the police, let's go."

Giving evidence, the landscape gardener described how he had stolen the quad bike with the other two defendants.

Left to right: Henry Long, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole deny murder

Mr Cole had ridden the bike to steer it, as it was towed behind the Seat, driven by Mr Long, with Mr Bowers in the passenger seat, the court heard.

When they came across PC Harper's police vehicle, Mr Bowers shouted at Mr Cole to unhook the bike and get in as Mr Long manoeuvred around it, jurors heard.

The court heard Mr Cole then ran towards the moving car and dived through the window.

PC Harper was seen on police car footage pursuing Mr Cole on foot moments before he became caught in the tow rope attached to the rear of the Seat and was dragged by the car for more than a mile.

Jurors heard Mr Cole was riding the quad bike as it was being towed

Defending Mr Cole, Patrick Upward QC asked if he ever turned round or saw PC Harper. The defendant denied it.

Mr Upward said: "Did you hear PC Harper shout 'stop police' or anything like that?"

Mr Cole replied "no" and said he was "holding my hand on the top of the car. The car was moving slowly, not fast. I grabbed on, jumped through".

"My head landed on Henry and my legs were over the top of Bowers," he added.

The defendant denied saying anything to his friends in the car, saying "all I saw was blue flashing lights", which meant he "needed to get home" as it was "obviously a police car".

Jurors were shown an unmarked police car positioned nose-to-nose with a Seat

Mr Cole said he never thought the Seat was dragging anything.

"We was speeding, going over humps fast. The exhaust scraping," he said.

The court previously heard that PC Harper, from Wallingford, Oxfordshire, died in "truly shocking circumstances" when his ankles got caught by the strap in Admoor Lane, Berkshire.

The defendants have admitted conspiring to steal the bike, but they all deny murdering PC Harper.

Mr Long has admitted manslaughter.

The trial continues.